Going, going, gone!
by iAndroid
Summary: Being heir of Uchiha Corp, is never simple. Especially for a person like Sasuke, who can't stand the thought of being tied down by marriage. As Sakura comes along, Fate has decided to play a little game of Sasusaku matchmaking...
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: This was __**not**__ going to work. He, Uchiha Sasuke, had to get a girlfriend? __**No way in hell.

* * *

**_

Uno:

The plan

* * *

"What other choice have we got, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto challenged.

Sasuke groaned angrily. How in the world had things become so complicated?

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Sasuke, I would really appreciate it if you got married quickly before any more problem arises." Uchiha Fugaku said solemnly._

_Sasuke seethed but kept his temper in check. Why was it always him and not that stupid Itachi?_

"_You need to think for the company too! Furthermore, you are already twenty, so haven't you considered finding yourself a girlfriend or something?"Fugaku probed on._

_Sasuke looked away when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Uchiha Mikoto looked at him and said," Yes, Sasu-chan! I think your father is right. It is time to start a family of your own and continue our family name…"_

_A vein twitched in his temple. Seriously, why couldn't it be that damned Itachi?_

_He glowered before nodding stiffly and storming out of the room._

_Being the heir of the Uchiha Corporation can be such a pain in the ass.

* * *

_

And so he grudgingly seeked the dobe for advice.

And guess what that moron said?

"I have a challenge for you! If you don't find a girlfriend by the end of this week, then you are _absolutely_ gay."

What an idiot.

* * *

"_Naruto-kun, what happened to your face?" Hinata inquired._

"_Eh? Oh, the bruise. It's courtesy of Sasuke-teme!" He chirped.

* * *

_

So that was how they ended up deciding to hunt for a suitable girlfriend for the block of walking ice-cube.

Entry form for '**The** Uchiha Sasuke's girl'

_Dear all Sasuke-fangirls, this is your best chance to grab the teme for yourself! If interested, (which I bet all of you are), please sign your name on this piece of paper! Maximum is 90 candidates per interview!!!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Uzumaki Naruto (teme's __**best friend**__!)_

**_Interview 1: Karin, Ino, Ayami, Harisa, Kinna, Teichi, Suki…_**

**_(90 candidates.)_**

**_Interview 2: Ashita, Kyouko, Darichi, Miku, Kire, Sariku…_**

**_(90 candidates.)_**

**_Interview 3: Seichi, Kuri, Ariku, Ari, Hina, Heichi…_**

**_(90 candidates.)_**

**_Interview 4: Sansaku, Sayuri, Toeki, Shizuki, Tzekiru, Kena…_**

**_(90 candidates.)_**

_"HOLY SHIT, IT'S A FULL HOUSE, TEME!"_

_"... There is no need to shout you moron!"

* * *

_

_Day 1, Interview 1:_

"How old are you?"

20TH CANDIDATE:

"Fifteen!"

"Too young. Next!"

40TH CANDIDATE:

"Fourteen!"

Seriously, what the hell did their mothers feed them?

60TH CANDIDATE:

"Thirteen!"

**Absurd.**

80TH CANDIDATE:

"Twelve and a half…"

**_The hell?_**

**TENTH LAST CANDIDATE FOR THE DAY:**

"Elev-"

**ENOUGH!!!**

"**THE INSTRUCTION HERE SAYS," FOR SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD AND ABOVE ONLY!!! WHAT PART OF IT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"**

...

"**Those who are BELOW SEVENTEEN, OUT!"**

And all the remaining candidates left.

_Sigh... What a retarded world.

* * *

_

The next day's interview was no better. Many of the girls had nearly ripped Sasuke's clothes off and jump on him.

"Sasuke-kun! Your body is mine and mine only!"

"Sasuke-kun! I will continue your family line for you!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

"_Sasuke-kun!"_

"_**Sasuke-kun!"**_

_**That was it.**_

"_**OUT!!!"**_

_**That night, he had nightmares of fan girls pouncing on him and trying to rape him. Uchiha Sasuke led a miserable life indeed.

* * *

**_

Uchiha Sasuke was not going to live through the third interview.

"Dobe, this is not working you moron! Think of something else!" Sasuke snapped that morning.

Naruto huffed angrily and plopped down on his sofa.

"So?" Sasuke asked ten minutes later.

"… Let me think in peace, teme!"

Tick,

tock,

tick,

tock…

…5 minutes

….15 minutes

"DOB-"

'**Snore'**

Sasuke blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

"**YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!" **

_**BAM!!!**_

"**YOUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR, TEME?"**

"**YOU FELL ASLEEP YOU MORON!"**

"Oh…" Naruto scratched his head and grinned.

* * *

The finally devised another plan. Sasuke was going to get a PRETEND GIRLFRIEND.

And guess who the poor-or-lucky-or-whatever-you-think girl is?

None other than…

**_Sakura Haruno._**

"Why are we choosing this Sakura- girl again?" Naruto inquired.

_What a blockhead!_

"From the data I collected, she doesn't seem to be a fan girl and is already eighteen years of age." Sasuke muttered.

"But isn't it kind of mean to use an innocent girl?"

"Shut up, moron."

_The heck I care.

* * *

_

Meanwhile, the one and only Sakura Haruno was oblivious to all these and was peacefully reading a book when a hand blocked her view.

Startled, she looked up into the eyes of none other than the youngest Uchiha.

_Emerald green eyes, silky pink hair, and naïve looks. _

_The real fun starts __now._

_**-TBC-

* * *

**_

_Chapter 2 Preview:_

"_What the heck are you doing, pervert?!" Sakura screamed and whacked his shoulder. He growled in annoyance. Didn't that dobe say the first part to being a gentleman was to offer your hand and kiss the back of her palm?_

_He glared at her accusingly." What was that for?"_

_Sakura had always hated gentlemanliness.

* * *

_

**_A/N: Review if you like it! XDD_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hola! How's everyone? Chapter 2 is finally up. Hope you'll enjoy it!**_

_Summary: This was __**not **__going to work. He, Uchiha Sasuke, had to get a girlfriend? __**No way in hell.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Dos:

Lessons

* * *

"What the heck are you doing, pervert?!" Sakura screamed and whacked his shoulder. He growled in annoyance.

Didn't that dobe say the first part to being a gentleman was to offer your hand and kiss the back of her palm?

He glared at her accusingly." What was that for?"

* * *

_Lesson 1: Sakura had always hated gentlemanliness._

_

* * *

_

"What do you think you're doing?!" Sakura demanded hotly. She was livid. What gives him the right to go around, randomly kissing the palm of someone you didn't even know?!

_The next step is to introduce yourself and bow in front of her! _Sasuke did as he remembered, saying, "Uchiha Sasuke. Nice to meet you."

He did not bow though.

Well, why, you ask?

Simple.

Uchihas **do not **bow to anyone.

She looked at him suspiciously.

_I thought everyone said Uchiha Sasuke was supposedly a block of walking ice cube? _

_Something's not right here!_ Inner Sakura warned.

Outer Sakura made a note to keep an eye on him and smiled, replying, "Haruno Sakura. Uchiha Sasuke… Aren't you supposed to be the 'walking ice cube'?"

Sasuke glared daggers at his soon-to-be pretend girlfriend.

"So annoying." He muttered.

Unfortunately, Sakura's sharp hearing caught his words and this time, she glared at him.

"What did you say?!"

"… Hn. Annoying."

She gaped at him angrily before kicking him on the knee and storming away, mumbling profanities about him.

* * *

_Lesson 2: __Never__ mess with Haruno Sakura. … _

_(Her kick __**seriously**__ hurt.) Not that he would admit it..._

_

* * *

_

A vein twitched his temple and he was about to tell her off when he remembered what the dobe said.

_If she pisses you off, do __**not**__ reprimand her! That nasty mouth of yours would probably make her cry!!!_

So he suppressed his anger that day.

However, a tiny part of him was already starting to like her fiery attitude, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Haruno Sakura was pissed off to the max.

What right did that Sasuke or whatever-his-name-was have to anyhow call _someone you didn't even know_ annoying?!

**What an ass.**

She felt like pummeling him to the ground and punching that irritating indifferent face of his.

However, Inner Sakura was squealing like a retarded hamster and chanting about how hot or handsome he was…

Outer Sakura brushed her Inner _'hamster'_ away none too gently but silently agreed.

_Looks can be __**so**__ deceiving._

_

* * *

_

_Lunch Break:_

Sakura was eating lunch peacefully when the stupid arrogant ice cube walked over.

She looked up and glared at him in annoyance when she saw a blond beside him.

The blond had whisker marks on his cheeks and was wearing a huge smile on his face.

_An idiotic grin, I might add_. She thought silently.

"Sooo… You are Sakura-chan! I am Uzumaki Naruto!!!" He announced cheerily.

Sakura stared at him before retorting, "Who said you could call me that?!"

She glared at him until the poor boy cowered behind Sasuke in fear.

* * *

_Lesson 3: Haruno Sakura has a __huge__ temper. _

_Better watch out!_

_

* * *

_

"Ne, teme! Are you sure she's the one? She's kinda freaking me out…" Naruto trailed off.

Sasuke glared at the idiot before turning back to the seething woman in front of him.

He gave her a smirk before putting his hand out in a gentlemanly manner.

She eyed his hand suspiciously and opted for getting up on her own.

Naruto sniggered.

"So, you finally met your match eh, Sasuke-_**kun**_!" He sneered, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

When Sakura turned around to grab her bag, Sasuke whacked Naruto's head.

Sasuke inwardly groaned when he saw the idiot cradling his head as though it was on the verge of cracking into two.

_Once a moron, always a moron._

_

* * *

_

"Where are we going, Sasuki?" Sakura questioned warily.

"It's **Sasuke** you dumbass!" Sasuke snapped.

"Jeez… With your chicken hairstyle and bangs, I think 'Sasuki' suits you better!" Sakura _'gushed'_.

However, she was grinning like a maniac inside.

"Oh, what about Sasu-gay?! I mean, your hairstyle is so… _**Gay**_!!! Hahaha…"

She continued giggling at him and laughing non-stop.

_Revenge is __**sweet.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Sasuke felt like strangling the girl beside him.

But as he thought about the company and his father, he was forced to swallow his pride and let her off.

He clenched his fist with suppressed anger when he heard Naruto chuckling.

_**Dumbass!**_

… Suddenly taking out his anger on the idiot didn't seem like a bad idea…

* * *

He brought her to the school's back garden, which not many students know of. The breeze was blowing softly and the flowers were swaying gently.

It was an extremely romantic venue.

He saw Sakura walked towards the flowers and surveyed them curiously.

That dobe had said girls loved flowers and romantic settings.

_This would be the perfect place to lure her into my trap! _

He thought.

However, all thoughts were thrown out of the window when she said,

"I hate anything to do with flowers. What kind of mushy guy are you?!"

For the first time in his life, Uchiha Sasuke wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

… _**My wounded ego…**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Lesson 4: Haruno Sakura is no ordinary girl…_

_(Was she even one anyway? She is so rough and un-lady like!)_

_

* * *

_

On the way home, Sakura was thinking about how much she hated mushy guys.

And flowers! They were so sweet and corny… just thinking of them made her sick.

As for Sasuke-ice cube, she felt triumphant when she thought of him.

She had crushed his pride in school just now and could not wait to toy with him further tomorrow.

* * *

Meanwhile, Uchiha Sasuke was angry.

As in, _really _angry.

He was in a bad mood and had literally broken his mug whilst holding it.

Drinking water didn't even help to cool himself down!

_The nerve of that girl!_

How he wished that he had picked another victim…

But it was too late.

If he picked another one now, then Sakura might find out his plan and ruin everything.

Thinking about the annoying pink-haired girl, his anger rose up to the max once more.

Suddenly, he thought of a way to get back at her.

He would protect his pride and ego from now and show her what he is capable of doing.

He truly believed that being **The** Uchiha Sasuke, nothing is impossible,

And since she was playing hard to get, he would do so too.

* * *

_**Two can play a game anyway.**_

_Things were getting interesting and…_

_**Uchiha Sasuke simply could not wait for tomorrow to come.**_

_**-TBC-**_

_**

* * *

**_

_A/N: Well, how was it? I was quite surprised to see that I got ten reviews for the first chapter! Thank you everyone! Please continue to review! __Muchas gracias!!!_

_**As for Chapter 3's Preview:**_

_**Hmmm… I cannot tell you now! It would spoil the fun so… till next time! Ja!**_


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto does not belong to me!

A/N: Here's for**_ 'funny-mee...'_**, a longer chapter for you!!!

* * *

Tres:

Denial

* * *

The next day came pretty quickly.

_Pinky is in for a big surprise._ Sasuke smirked devilishly.

* * *

Today was another typical day for Haruno Sakura. She did the same routine, listening to her iPod and walking towards the school briskly.

She was, as usual, oblivious to her surroundings when she walked into the school.

However, she didn't know that today was _not_ any other day...

* * *

The first thing she noticed when she walked into the classroom was the smell.

The whole room reeked of spaghetti!

She winced and was walking towards her seat when she saw a whole plate of spaghetti dumped onto her chair.

A vein twitched in her temple.

_Who the hell had done this?!_

She looked around furiously before her emerald-green eyes locked with cruel black orbs.

She glared at the Uchiha prodigy before proceeding to clear up the mess.

_The nerve of him! _She yelled mentally.

She heard some other students snickering at her, especially _his_ fan-girls.

She gritted her teeth in anger and shame. He was _so_ going to pay.

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain Uchiha Sasuke was having a good time watching the pink-haired girl clearing up the mess furiously.

He could see the anger and resentment in her eyes, and could see her thinking of ways to get back at him.

_Too bad, Sa-ku-ra… I never lose._ He smirked inwardly. _However…_

… _I can't wait to see what you have got up your sleeves._ He mused.

* * *

During the whole of history lesson, Sakura was not even paying attention to a single word the teacher was saying. She was too busy thinking of ways to get that asshole back for humiliating her in front of the whole class.

_I could 'accidentally' spill a drink on him… or spill my food on his shirt or something…_ She thought.

But it was not enough. _That jerk deserves worse..._

**She had to keep thinking! **

"-kura?! Look here, missy!" Sakura blinked in confusion. Her hazy green eyes focused and returned to its original clear emerald hue. She looked up to see Minari-sensei staring at her, along with the whole class.

Heck, she could even _feel _the eyes of the whole class boring into her!!!

Her face reddened in embarrassment and replied, "Yes, sensei?"

"Are you feeling alright? I was asking you a question on which year Spain experienced a civil war and you were muttering something about kicking someone's groin after class…?"

Sakura gaped at her sensei before frantically trying to think up of an excuse. She heard many snickers and knew the whole class was probably trying not to burst out into loud guffaws.

Her face reddened further to the point that it felt like it was burning.

"Sakura, are you okay? I think you should go to the sick bay!" Minari-sensei exclaimed worriedly.

"Sai, would you please help her?" Minari inquired.

"Ah-I... I mean..." Sakura frantically babbled on.

Sai just shrugged and nodded his head before going over to Sakura's seat and putting one of her hands around his shoulder.

Using his free hand to circle her waist and support her, he picked her up and supported her shaking form.

The overly-embarrassed girl immediately shut up.

The duo walked out of the class silently, and for some reason Sasuke's eyes narrowed when he saw her grip tighten around Sai's shoulders.

* * *

For the rest of the period Sasuke was in an officially bad mood.

It wasn't like he was jealous or anything, he just… was being 'protective' of his soon-to-be pretend girlfriend.

Yes, that was it! Nothing else…

He knew that Uchihas were very protective of their possessions… Which he assumed included her.

She was something that resembled a… tool.

Yes, she was just a tool to him. _Nothing else._

Only a tool which could easily be thrown aside once he was sick of… …

He scratched his hair in frustration.

_What is this unfamiliar feeling_? He thought angrily.

* * *

Meanwhile in the sick bay, Sakura was just sitting on the couch with her head resting against the wall.

She had been humiliated twice today and it was all that Uchiha's fault!_ Damn him!_

She was so caught up in her frustrations that she didn't notice Sai staring at her face intently.

He was amused by the flashes of motions passing her face so quickly. He could not comprehend how such a tiny person could possess so much different emotions and show it to the world so easily…

… Something which he had never been able to do.

* * *

"Hey, Ugly? Are you going to stay like that forever?"

Sakura cracked open one eye. Who the hell was Sai talking to?

She stared at him dumbly. "Are you talking to me?"

"Duh, Ugly! Who else is here?!" He raised an eyebrow at her stupid question.

In an instant, Sakura had jumped out of the couch and was glaring daggers at his face. "..Me???" She nearly screamed out.

He stared at her as if she was a lunatic and said, "Oi, Ugly. Your face looks uglier now."

"Shannaro!!!" She hollered before whacking his head with as much force as she could.

10 minutes later…

"Wow Sai! That is a remarkable bruise you have there!" the nurse remarked.

Sai stared at her before smiling. "Courtesy of that hag!"

"_I can hear you from here, bastard!"_

Sakura's yell could be heard throughout the whole sick bay.

* * *

Both Sakura and Sai missed the remaining half of history lesson.

Sai's appearance was disheveled due to the beating he took from dear Sakura.

Sakura, on the other hand, was flushed (she was really pissed off) and her clothes were crumpled from chasing Sai around the whole sick bay and trying to land one punch on him.

There was an akward silence whilst they were walking. Finally, Sakura spoke up.

"So what lesson do you have next, Sai?" she questioned. They were currently walking out of the sick bay, heading towards their respective classes.

"Art." Sai muttered.

"Really? Me too!" Sakura exclaimed, though her brows furrowed a little. How come she didn't notice him until now?

_I really have to sharpen my observation skills,_ Sakura mused.

* * *

The art room door creaked open and in came Sai and Sakura.

Thankfully, their art teacher was not there yet. Sakura heaved a sigh in relief. A flash of yellow caught her eye and she turned around.

She realized that it came from a certain blond idiot...

... The idiot who dared to call her 'Sakura-chan' during their first encounter.

He was laughing loudly and practically had his butt off the chair.

_Pfft. That boy is really a moron…_

But at the same time, he evoked memories which were supposedly locked deep within the recesses of her heart.

_No way…_ Sakura thought_. Just the mere sight of him makes me remember Ha-_

She shook her head furiously and refused to think further. Thinking of the past is no use.

* * *

Upon hearing the creaking of the door, Sasuke looked up and narrowed his eyes. What the hell had those two been up to?

He took in their appearance: ruffled black hair, crumpled skirt, flushed cheeks and bruises on Sai's face.

He stared at Sakura intently. Could she have …?!

_**No way. She's not **__**that**__** type of girl!**_

_Who the hell are you?_

_**My, my… Jealous are we?**_

_Get the fuck out of my mind!_

_**Yare, yare…**_

Sasuke resumed staring(furiously) at the pinkette.

_**

* * *

**_

Sakura felt eyes boring holes into her back and turned around curiously, only to meet _his_ cold eyes.

She raised an eyebrow in response. Was that immense anger she saw?

When he kept glaring at her for no reason, she just sighed and proceeded to ignore him, walking over to her seat.

To her surprise, Sai trailed behind her and asked, "Hey Ugly, can I seat next to you?"

Sakura grew suspicious. "Why? Where do you use to seat?"

At that moment, their art teacher, Kurenai, waltzed into the class.

"Sai is new here, Sakura! Since he offered to sit beside you, then why not?" Kurenai answered Sakura's previous question.

Sakura simply nodded at her sensei. Sai seemed nice enough and rather hilarious…

* * *

Throughout the whole painting session, Sai kept making stupid comments about her art piece.

He kept telling her how she should have added a darker shade, how the flowers were too big… …

Sakura would get annoyed but at the same time laughed at him. Since he was not used to expressing his emotions, Sai's face would look rather cute when he was criticizing her artwork or spotting her flaws.

Sai was, in fact, rather handsome, with a pale face and jet black hair. He somehow reminded her of that… Uchiha jerk.

Speaking of him, Sakura turned around to look at what he was doing.

He was seething.

Uchiha Sasuke was not used to the feeling of someone else talking and joking around with his… possession…

Or _soon-to-be_ possession.

He growled softly in anger. He felt like killing that stupid smiling freak (Sai) then and there.

"Ne, teme, if you continue doing this then your paintbrush will snap into two!" Naruto stated.

Sasuke snapped out of his reverie and released his tight grip on his paintbrush.

He should never feel this way. She was only his toy after all.

_She was just a __toy._

However, deep down Uchiha Sasuke was trying his very best to convince himself.

* * *

That jerk was glaring at her again. What was it with all those _glares_?

It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong…

_What a weird asshole._ She thought, starting to get rather irritated with his stares.

She turned around and resumed with her work, listening to Sai's stupid yet adorable remarks.

**-TBC-**

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Chapter 3 is done! A jealous Sasuke always makes my day!!! **

***Exam is in about… a week's time, so I hope this would satisfy you people for the time being!!! Until next time (which would probably be early June or late May…)!***

**Please review if you like it! XD**


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Here is the next chapter! I guess you can't call it early May now huh? Sorry. (Check my profile if you don't understand. I said this update would be __early May__. But now is __mid-May__. Heehee.)_

_**[Disclaimer]: The day Naruto is mine is the day pigs fly. XD

* * *

**_

Cuatro:

"Girlfriend"

* * *

The rest of the week was uneventful.

Sakura still thought Sasuke was an asshole, but at least he was not provoking her much either.

Truth to be told, she _quite_ miss the times when she annoyed him, cracked his ego and they would have a glaring contest.

Her relationship with Sai also grew, and she made a couple of new friends; Hinata, Kiba, TenTen, Neji and _Naruto!_

She would have never thought that she would be friends with that moron. However, as days passed, she grew rather fond of him and found teasing him amusing since he was so dense.

Sasuke was always cold and distant toward everyone, except maybe Naruto. He hardly spoke and did not seem to like her much.

* * *

So when one day _that_ incident happened, she was rather surprised.

Sakura was walking home from school as per usual, when she was grabbed roughly into a dark alley. Just as she was about to scream, a hand was clamped down on her mouth, cutting of her yelp. Her heart started thumping dangerously and she feared it would jump out of her chest.

She struggled and turned to face her 'kidnapper' and felt a chill run down her spine. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Staring at her with an insane look in his eyes and a maniacal grin on his face was Sai. Never had she thought Sai would do this to her, since they were as close as good friends could get.

She choked back a sorrowful sob and called out, albeit a little muffled. "Sai? What are you doing?"

He did not reply and instead shoved her to the brick wall behind her and started ravaging her. Sakura was horrified. Thought were swirling around her head.

_What? Why would __**Sai**__ do this to me? Sai!_

Tears ran down her cheeks as she struggled against his iron grip. She tried biting, scratching or kicking but all her efforts were in vain.

She was so caught up in her terror and shock that when Sai was roughly shoved off her, she gasped loudly. She slumped onto the ground and turned to her savior.

Sasuke was standing in all glory, staring down at Sai maliciously.

He grabbed Sai by the collar and punched his face, and Sakura heard a sickening crunch.

She winced and fought the urge to throw up. Sasuke, however, continued his blows mercilessly, until Sakura snapped and stopped him. "That's enough, Sasuke!" she cried out in horror at the sight of Sai's bloody and beaten form.

He turned his cold gaze towards her before dropping Sai's limp body and grabbing Sakura's arm, dragging her roughly out the alley.

"Let go of me!" she snapped in anger. Her arm was no doubt going to have a large bruise the next day.

She wrenched her arm free of his grip and turned to glare at him, although her insides were a nervous-wreck. For a moment, she thought she saw his eyes soften but it was gone in a flash.

"Hn." He grunted indifferently. She sighed in exasperation before muttering a small but rather grudging 'thanks.'

Surprisingly, he gave her a predatory grin, and she felt queasy and shifted uneasily.

_What is he going to do to us? _Her Inner shrieked.

She gulped and hid her fear, asking him roughly what the hell was so amusing. Sakura cursed inwardly when her voice wavered.

"Since I saved you today, shouldn't you repay me?" he continued darkly.

She looked up at him in shock. "What do you want from me?" Sakura had a terrible feeling about what he was going to say.

"Be my pretend girlfriend." He stated bluntly.

* * *

Sakura swore her jaw landed smack on the side walk.

"W-what?" she spluttered in absolute shock. She was sure any second then her eyes would pop out of their sockets. However, Sasuke made no move to reply her and just resumed eyeing her intently.

"Why?" she all but shrieked.

He glared at her in annoyance. "Don't forget you owe me."

She gaped at him in shock and embarrassment. "What makes you think I am willing to do _anything _you tell me to?" She could feel rage and hysteria bubbling up inside her.

"It's not like you have any say, Sakura. You owe me much gratitude." He retorted.

He then turned around and strode away, leaving Sakura making incoherent sounds and face flushed with anger.

"What a jerk!" she screamed, frustrated.

A few meters away, Sasuke smirked in amusement.

* * *

The following day, Sakura arrived in school rather early. When she walked to her seat, which was beside Sai, she felt a pang in her heart.

She could not understand why he would do such a thing. She was so caught up in her misery that she failed to see the young Uchiha staring at her with amusement dancing across his eyes.

He scoffed at her 'dramatic' actions and turned away. What was there to grieve about? That emotionless freak deserved it anyway.

She whipped her head up when she heard his scoff. Instantly, her eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to accuse him when other students began filing in.

She sat back down and resumed sulking and wondering about the reason for Sai's earlier actions toward her.

Sai was not present on that day. She sighed exasperatedly. She was **so** going to grill him for answers.

_A sane person would not even look at someone who tried to attack, or possibly __**rape **__you_! Inner sneered.

_You're right… But still, he's __Sai__!_ Sakura thought.

_I must be nuts! Gotta stop thinking of this…_ She inwardly sighed.

* * *

Throughout the whole time, Sasuke was looking at Sakura with dark amusement. _Does she care so much about that freak? Che. Annoying._

The whole day passed by quickly and Sakura was walking out of the school gates when someone blocked her path. She looked up quizzically and her shock turned to anger once again.

"What are you doing here, _pretty boy_?" She sneered at the 'road block'.

"Pretty boy? Hn." Sasuke smirked and put his face beside her ear.

She could feel a blush starting to creep up her cheeks. _Too close!_ Inner shrieked, and she felt her heartbeat increase.

"Remember what I said yesterday, Sa-ku-ra?" He whispered darkly.

Sakura suddenly felt the temperature around them zoom up a hundred degrees and hastily pushed him away from her.

"I remember I rejected your offer!" She bit back, mustering up her best glare.

"Not like I'm giving you a choice." With that, he grabbed her good arm and pushed her into his sleek black Maserati.

Before she could protest, the door was slammed shut, he had slid into the driver's seat, and they were off to God-knows-where.

* * *

"Hey, jerk! Where the hell are you taking me!" Sakura screeched in anger.

She received no reply and grew angrier, yelling profanities about him until she finally grew tired with all the hysterics and cooled down a little.

"Done yet?" he smirked at her, looking as smug as ever.

She ground her teeth in anger and roughly turned away, deciding not to talk to him. Her fingers itched to punch someone's face so badly. She was so pissed of to bring herself to care about her extremely childish act.

He chuckled softly in amusement and pulled the car to a stop.

She looked out of the windscreen and saw that she was in a mansion.

When she heard him get out of the car, she slowly unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the Maserati.

Looking around, she saw many sakura trees, a large pond with a tiny waterfall and a large smooth path leading towards the entrance of the beautiful mansion.

Her anger quickly dissipated and she looked around in awe.

"Where are we?" she questioned breathlessly, still looking around in wonder.

He smirked once more before answering, "The Uchiha mansion."

_**-TBC-

* * *

**_

_A/N: Sorry for the late update! Here is Chapter 4. Hope you people will enjoy it!_

_Chapter 5 preview: _

"_So this is your fiancé, Sasuke-chan?" Mikoto questioned cheerfully. "Your birthday is coming soon! Maybe we should arrange your marriage a few months after that?" _

"_Wha-Excuse me?" Sakura nearly screeched in disbelief. _

_"Who said I wa-"Sakura hissed at Sasuke when he suddenly spoke up._

_"I'll consider about the date, kaa-san."_

…

…

…

And then all hell broke loose.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I was quite lazy to update this few weeks but finally managed to think up of the plot for the next chapter. Hope you'll like it._

_**[Disclaimer]: I once dreamt that I owned Naruto… …But it all ended when I sneezed and fell off the bed. ^^**_

**EDIT: I noticed a few errors and loopholes in this story, and so I have been trying to fix these little mistakes. I would love to thank _Asdffghjkl_ so much for pointing some of these mistakes out. Anyway, thanks for reading~ (I only edited the mistakes. The author's note and plot remains unchanged.)**

_**

* * *

**_

Cinco:

Misunderstandings

* * *

Sakura gaped in shock and wonder. She was speechless for a few minutes until Sasuke turned to look at her with an eyebrow arched and amusement crossing his features.

"W-what did you bring me here for?" she spluttered, her eyes wide with shock.

"Remember the deal? You're my 'girlfriend', Sa-ku-ra." Sasuke replied without batting an eyelash.

"Sasuke, we have gone through this before. I said-"

"Hn." He grunted in annoyance.

Sakura gritted her teeth in anger and turned away from him, trying to keep from pouncing on him and beating that arrogant face of his into pulp.

After a few awkward seconds, she finally forced out, "Why me? What for?"

"…"

When Sasuke made no move to reply, she turned to him and continued, "I'm just a _plain_ schoolgirl. You're **the** Uchiha Sasuke. What are you trying to gain out of this?"

_Che. Smart girl._He inwardly mused.

"You're going to pretend to be my girlfriend…" Sasuke drawled out lazily.

When Sakura raised her eyebrows and nodded for him to continue, he said, "For fan-girl exterminating purposes and appeasing my desperate parents."

Even though she hated his guts, Sakura felt hurt by his harsh words. Her hands fisted behind her skirt. "Why me?" she gritted out.

"You're not a fan-girl." He answered simply.

Sakura sighed. _I owe him anyway. And it's temporary… might as well get it done and over with_. She thought.

Sakura looked up at Sasuke with determination in her eyes. "Deal."

* * *

He smirked and started walking into the mansion, with Sakura trailing behind him silently and thinking over her decision.

_Have I made the right choice?_

_Well… we shall just see about that._Inner Sakura replied.

Sakura agreed silently before stepping into the mansion and closing the huge doors behind her with a soft 'click.'

_There's no turning back now anyway.

* * *

_

The interior of the mansion was so much bigger than she thought. She looked around and was entranced by its beauty.

The walls were a rich, velvety red and the window frames were a beautiful shiny gold. Sakura was captivated by its beauty. It was like a real palace, which she often dreamt of in her childhood days.

"We're here." Sasuke's deep voice penetrated her thoughts. She blinked in surprise and focused on her surroundings. They were in what seemed to be a dining room, which had a really long dining table draped with a ruby red silk.

There were three adults present- one was a beautiful woman with long black hair and a pretty face, the other was a guy of about twenty five, with long raven hair and two lines running down either side of his nose, and the last was a grumpy and serious looking man.

All three adults were sipping tea in silence, and Sakura guessed it was tea-time.

She gulped when she noticed the older man's stare, which was directed at her. "You're late, Sasuke." He remarked in a gruff voice.

Sasuke just 'hn'ed before heading over to an empty space opposite the long-haired guy. "Who is this?" the long-haired person inquired, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"It's none of your business, Itachi." Sasuke seethed.

"I'm _hurt_, foolish little brother." Itachi replied sarcastically.

Sakura gulped nervously as the temperature in the room seemed to drop down ten degrees. Mikoto smiled when she saw this and motioned for Sakura to seat on the empty chair beside her youngest son. Sakura blushed and walked towards her designated spot awkwardly.

"So, you must be the Sakura that Sasuke-chan was telling us about?" Mikoto questioned.

Sakura looked up in surprise and nodded.

* * *

_So that jerk had already told his family about me even before I made the deal?_

She inwardly seethed.

_What an asshole!_ Inner Sakura roared.

* * *

She forced a smile on her face although her eyebrows were twitching.

_Stupid Sas-gay!_ She thought when all eyes turned to her. _This is freaking embarrassing!_

"Tell us about yourself." Itachi suddenly spoke up in his smooth and deep voice.

Her face heated up and she began speaking. "I was born in Osaka, and my mother passed away when I was seven. My dad found a job here, in Tokyo, so both of us moved in. I was studying in Toromo University until I got a scholarship to enter Konoha University…"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. Sakura turned to face him and glared at him for interrupting her. When he turned to her and smirked, she quickly faced away, pouting childishly.

Mikoto smiled at this. _The two of them looks so cute together!_ She gushed inwardly.

"Sasuke, what about the wedding?" Fugaku questioned in his rough voice.

Sakura blinked. Who said anything about _marriage_?

"Ah, yes! Sasuke-chan, your birthday is coming soon! Maybe we should arrange it a few months after that? You'll very close to graduating school then!" Mikoto remarked in a sing-song voice.

"Wha-**Excuse me**?" Sakura nearly screeched in disbelief. She felt as if her eyes were about to pop out of its sockets.

When she recovered from her initial shock, she turned to Sasuke angrily and hissed," Who said anything about-"

"Shut up." Sasuke commanded her softly, giving her a sideway glare.

She snorted in anger and turned away, trying her hardest not to explode in fury or doing something stupid like tearing out all her hair.

"I'll consider about the date, kaa-san." Sasuke replied monotonously.

Sakura nearly fainted in disbelief, and in her rage she stomped on Sasuke's foot as hard as she could.

Sasuke grunted softly in pain before glaring at her. She glared back at him angrily.

Seeing that she might blow their cover, Sasuke excused both of them and dragged her into his room.

* * *

"Bear with it!" He hissed.

Her anger reached its peak and she shrieked, "What have you got me into, jerk? How am I going to tell my dad? Are _you_ going to be responsible?"

He sighed heavily, his ear ringing from the volume of her shrieks. "I'll think of a way." He replied without a care in the world, before walking over to his huge bed and lying down with his arms crossed behind his head.

Sakura felt angry tears gather in her eyes. Before he could see them, however, she turned away furiously and marched towards the room door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sasuke cracked open an eye.

"None of your business, jerk."Sakura replied darkly.

_I guess I made the wrong choice...How could I be so __**stupid**__? I will __**never **__ever agree to marry such an asshole._

_**Over my dead body!

* * *

**_

"Get me out." Sakura suddenly said.

Sasuke turned to her, puzzlement evident in his obsidian eyes.

"Get me out of this goddamned place and this mess _you_ created." She snapped angrily.

He just smirked at her and before he knew it, she had pounced on him, trying to scratch his face with her nails.

His eyes widened in shock at her actions before he smoothly flipped them over and effectively pinned her onto the bed.

Her green eyes were hazy with anger and her hair splayed out beneath her like a halo. She was glaring at him and struggling violently in an attempt to get him off her. "What do you think you're doing, _Sakura_?" Sasuke asked, partly amused by her bold actions.

"Get off me, you jerk! Get off, _get off_!" she was nearly hysterical now, screaming and trying to claw his face.

His grip on her wrists tightened as his patience wore thin. _This girl…_

He closed his eyes in an attempt to curb his anger when he felt sobs wracking through her body. He opened his eyes in shock. _Why the hell was she-_

"I _hate_ you for ruining my life, Sasuke. I still have so much more to go! I want to become a doctor, marry a _nice_guy and have a nice family… you just _had_ to waltz into my life and _ruin_ it, didn't you?" She sobbed in anger.

Sasuke's anger turned into total shock and he sighed. "It's not what you think, Sakura. It-"

"_Stop it!_ I don't want to listen to any of this shit anymore!" She roughly pushed him off her and stormed out of the room.

With a weary sigh, he massaged the bridge between his eyes before following Sakura out of the room, closing the door behind him softly.

_What a pain…_ he groaned inwardly.

However, he couldn't understand why he felt a _teeny_bit sorry for the ever so annoying Haruno Sakura.

**-TBC-

* * *

**

_**A/n**__: Finally! I had quite a hard time thinking of how to continue the story from chapter 4… I hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter! Also, please review! XD._

_**P.S the next update may be a little sooner. However, after June is over, all updates will be much slower. Sorry for the inconvenience!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: So sorry for the super late update! I was so busy with school that I didn't have the time to write out this chapter… XD. And my inspiration level has been staying at NIL till now… Anyways, I would love to thank all those readers who had reviewed:**_

_**QuotingShakespeare, freaky-mee, Tiger Priestess, Dorky Dippinfanny, Midnight Angel Sakura, tenshi303, Kaelin, Theary15, Spazz8884, SasusakuKawaii, MidnightCherryBlossomCat, Chantrea Moonbeam, kioku7, whoopies13, funny-mee, Angel Hidden In The Shadows, kristy245, RainyParades 'o', ambergur-pyon96, angel178 and noonono.**_

_**(I love you guys so much! XD)**_

… _**And of course those who had read this story/ put it on favourites/ alerts list.**_

_**P.S Dear reviewers, please notify me if I have forgotten to type in any of your usernames! Sorry if I did forget! ((You are free to kill**__** me for that... X'D))**_

_**And now…On with the show!**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**[Disclaimer]: Unfortunately, Naruto is not- and never will be- mine... T_T**_

Seis:

Her memories

* * *

Sakura ran out into the darkening evening sky in anger and humiliation. _How dare he?_ She felt very violated when she thought of how he had pinned her down onto the bed- She shook her head strongly when she felt her face heat up.

_What the hell am I thinking?_ She scolded her perverted inner self and marched out of the mansion, intending never to set foot into the grand house anymore.

* * *

Sasuke sighed in annoyance as he stormed towards the pink-haired girl. He was irritated to the max and was about to blow up anytime soon. As soon as he was within her reach, he grabbed her wrist roughly and yanked her backwards.

Sakura looked up in shock and alarm. When she realized who her 'captor' was, she scowled indignantly. "What do _you_ want?" She glowered furiously.

Sasuke just 'hn-ed' but made no move to reply her. The silence that stretched between them made Sakura feel suffocated and caused her much discomfort, especially with him staring at her with those unreadable, dark eyes.

She started to fidget and after a while, she snapped. "Well, _your majesty_, if you have nothing to say, please let go of my wrist!"

He just grunted in reply and released her hand. "Be my pretend girlfriend- just for this period of time."

Sakura snapped her face up to meet his. "So _now_ you're talking? And the answer is still no. I will never-"

"_Sakura._" She looked up in slight surprise. She was even more taken aback when she saw the emotion swirling in his eyes. She finally saw how desperate he had been to solve the burden that his father had pushed to him; to marry any random girl who was rich enough to improve his company name and business, and to continue his family line.

Sakura's eyes softened considerably and she sighed in reluctant defeat. She felt rather sorry for him; she couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to pick any girl to marry before a certain _deadline_- or else you would be forced into a loveless marriage by your own father.

Part of her wanted to help him, yet the other part of her was warning her how risky this was; she was going to get her heart broken over and over again if she ever, in the process, fell for him.

But seeing his desperation, an emotion which he hardly shown, broke her firm resolve. She was taking a great risk, but at least she would be able to help him.

* * *

_The breeze was cooling and sent pink strands of hair flying about her chubby, heart-shaped face. "What do you wish to do when you grow up, Sakura-chan?" Sakura's mother questioned her daughter affectionately._

"_Hmmm… I wanna help everyone who needs help!" five-year old Sakura replied in a sing-song voice._

_Her mother giggled softly and extended her hand to pat her daughter's head fondly. "That's nice…" she trailed off, watching her daughter playing with the daisies which surrounded them. "Kaa-san, guess what? Today Ino and Ami gave me sushi for lunch- they were really delicious! And there was this boy called Haraku- he's really funny and cheerful and-"_

_As Haruno Sayuuri watched her young daughter talking and chatting animatedly, she had to blink back the tears that threatened to spill from her glassy, emerald orbs. _

_**Sakura… I'm so sorry.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Sasuke, surprisingly, was nice enough to give her a lift home. After muttering a word of thanks, she had immediately stalked towards her apartment door and plopped down onto the sofa. Sakura sighed and pinched the bridge in between her eyes.

She felt exhausted and after a few minutes, dozed off silently.

"_Kaa-san! Okaa-san!" seven year-old Sakura screamed. Her face was wet with tears and her nose was running, but she couldn't care less about her appearance now. "Okaa-san, wake up! Please!" She clutched onto her mother's hand tightly; her mother's life was slowly fading-_

"_Please wait here, child." A middle-aged nurse pushed little Sakura gently onto one of the hospital chairs. _

_"Is kaa-san gonna be okay?" Sakura choked out. _

"_I'm sure your mother would be fine!" the kind nurse replied soothingly. She then smoothed Sakura's hair and told her to wait there._

_As she turned around to leave, Sakura, being her usual observant self, caught the fleeting look of pity in the nurse's eyes._

_

* * *

_

_Sakura waited. And waited. _

_During that time though, many concerned nurses and people approached her-_

"_Hey child, you should go home and rest. Where's your dad?"_

"_Hello dear, please don't sit there all day. You look tired; why won't you go home?"_

"_Little Sakura, shall I send you home? You look like you need sleep…"_

_-But left, all their efforts of comforting the poor girl in vain._

_And the seven year-old girl cried herself to sleep on the hospital chair. As she slipped into slumber,_

_-her mother's life faded away._

_**-"Okaa-san!"-**_

_**

* * *

**_

Sakura woke up with a start. The same dream that had been constantly infiltrating her mind had started up again. She sighed and wiped of the sweat that gathered on her forehead.

Looking around her, she realized that it was already about 4 a.m in the early morning. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, Sakura stood up and got dressed for the day.

She made herself a cup of coffee and sat in the living room armchair, sipping on her coffee and reading her book. _What a relaxing morning…_ she mused lazily.

However, time seemed to pass by very slowly and she decided to take a morning walk. Sakura locked the apartment door and set off.

* * *

_Huh? How did I end up here?_ She wondered. She had walked around and unconsciously went to her mother's grave.

She sighed quietly and kneeled down in front of the tombstone. "Ohayo, kaa-san."

"I'm sorry for not visiting for quite some time… I was really busy, with school and all. I miss you so much, you know?"

"And guess what? There's this really nasty guy in my school who keeps badgering me to be his 'pretend girlfriend'... Remember I told you that I promised that I would help _anyone_ in need? Even if I hate his guts, looking at the desperation in his eyes… I can't help it, kaa-san. But I know that in the process, I'm surely bound to get hurt…"

Sakura trailed off sadly. For a few minutes she just kneeled there, sobbing quietly.

_Okaa-san, what should I do?_

_

* * *

_

Sasuke woke up when the harsh sunlight filtered into his room. He groaned softly before rolling to the side and getting out of bed. As he was walking towards the bathroom, the door burst open and the dobe came running in.

"Hey, teme! Guess what- WHOA! What's up with your cranky mood?" Naruto shouted after dodging a pillow thrown at him.

Sasuke cringed. That idiot never knew how to control his volume. "_Why_ are you here?" Sasuke asked curtly, irritation laced in his voice.

"Oh yeah, as I was saying, KAKASHI-SENSEI IS HERE!" Naruto finished his sentence with an ear-blasting shout.

"… Get _out_." Sasuke growled, emitting a murderous aura.

"Hey, teme? What's wrong? Why are you- Okay, I get it… Jeez. What an ass." Naruto ended with a mutter, laughing fearfully when he saw the expression on his best friend's face before scampering out of the room with his hands raised up in surrender.

Sasuke exhaled sharply before proceeding towards the bathroom_. Kakashi is back?_ He thought. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he nearly slammed the bathroom door on his toe.

_What a way to start the day._

_

* * *

_

Sakura got up and dusted invisible dust off her jeans. She looked around to see the sun rising up, illuminating the once- deep purple colored sky. She smoothed her hair and turned around to leave.

However, she turned back to look at her mother's tombstone and said, "Well, I'll be off now. Ja ne, kaa-san!"

She then turned around, looking up at the brightening sky before heading home to change with a light skip. She smiled at a little boy she passed by and sighed, listening to the birds' melodious song and their cheerful chirps. A cool breeze blew pass her and the sunlight illuminated her emerald green orbs, adding a tint of gold in them.

_I'll forget about my past and move on!_ She strengthened her resolve and her eyes hardened with determination. _That's right! There's_ _no use crying over spilled milk, Sakura! You must pick yourself up!_ Her mother's voice suddenly resurfaced.

Sakura was startled for a moment but her eyes softened. "Hai, kaa-san."

_It was the start of a brand new day._

**-TBC-

* * *

**

_A/N: So… it's finally done; Chapter 6 of Going, Going, Gone! I hope all of you readers have enjoyed this chapter. I really apologize for the super late update! TT^TT _

_Although I can't say when the next chapter is going to be uploaded, I can tell you that my inspirations to write haven't been very high lately. But don't worry; I'll never abandon this story! Well then, enough of my rants- I have to go to bed now._

_Please review if you like it!_

_-Izumii842 _


	7. Chapter 7

_A/n: Hey Pipsqueaks! ((No pun intended, I just have an infatuation with this word recently... ^^")) Sorry for the super-duper late update; I had to study for exams! Now that my exams are over, you guys can expect faster updates. Hehe. :3_

_Once again, I would love to thank all reader and reviewers!

* * *

_

_***Before we begin with the story though, I have some important announcements to make.**_

_**- I would like to thank those who have pointed out some errors in this story. I re-read this story yesterday and updated the chapters (meaning fixed those errors). I hope that it's fine now and if any of you spot a mistake which I missed out, do notify me! Thanks so much! ='3**_

_**Besides this, I would also like to make some important changes to some of the character's information:**_

_**- Sakura is 19 and goes to Konoha University. (Which means it's her first year in this Uni.)**_

_**- Sasuke is twenty and goes to Konoha University too. (It's only his second year. I know that in earlier chapters I made Fugaku say that university is almost over for Sasuke, and I wish to take it back… Sasuke will finish university in **__**two years time.**__** I hope that this is clear enough.)**_

_**- Naruto is **__**twenty**__**, like Sasuke.**_

_**- Itachi is **__**twenty five,**__** and Kakashi is **__**thirty three.***_

_**Luvvv,**_

_**Izumii**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Now, now… where was I? Oh yeah- back to the story…_

[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto _or_ the places mentioned in this story!]

Siete:

Karma's a bitch

* * *

_Today is a Saturday_… Sakura mused inwardly. She had nothing to do for the day and decided to call up her best friend. Before she could do so, however, her phone rang.

"Forehead! Long time no see! You free today?"

Ino's loud voice greeted Sakura. _Talk about fate!_ Inner Sakura snickered. Sakura was about to call Ino but apparently, Ino had beaten her to it.

Sakura gave a sigh and replied, "Hi, Pig. Yes, I missed you too. And I am free today… "

"You are? Okay; there is _no_ way I'm gonna just let you lock yourself up in your house and **read books**! I mean, you've always been so pale it's like you have never been in the sun for ages!" Ino finished her sentence with a loud, horrified and totally exaggerated screech.

Sakura winced and she twitched in anger. "I'm not pale, Ino! And for your information, I go out to the sun almost _every_ day!"

"Whatever you say, _Ghost_-chan!" Ino taunted haughtily.

"You pig! I am not pale; and I am not a **ghost**!" Sakura replied in exasperation.

"Whatever, _Ghost-chan_. Anyway, let's meet up at twelve-thirty for lunch later! I'll ask Hinata and Tenten to come along too."

"Hai, Pig. Where are we meeting up?"

"Uhh, how about 'The Heeren'? It's a new mall and I heard they sell tones of accessories and clothes!" Sakura could practically hear Ino laughing hysterically in the inside. "Fine with me. It's the one near N.Y.D.C, right? … Okay. See you there."

Sakura ended her call with her best friend before heading over to 'The Coffee Bean' for a light breakfast. No matter how annoying Ino was, Sakura was still looking forward to meet her friends. After all, she hasn't met them in ages.

* * *

"Yo Sasuke, Naruto! I haven't seen you guys for so long! Did you miss me?" Kakashi ended his sentence with a disturbing grin. Naruto gave him an equally perverted grin and replied, "Duh, Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke shot both of them a disgusted look before replying with a 'hn.'

"I'm deeply hurt, Sasuke! Don't you miss me after _sooo_ long? After all, I've been your teacher since you were **six**!" Kakashi chided in a high pitched tone.

Sasuke just turned away in annoyance, muttering about how immature Kakashi was… Kakashi and Naruto, hearing him, grinned at the same time. "Say, Kakashi-sensei, how was your "business trip"?" Naruto inquired.

"Tough. But it's not like I can do anything to reject it. After all, Tsunade-sama was the one who assigned it to me." Kakashi replied curtly. Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "Speaking of baa-chan, I haven't seen her for like, two years?"

Sasuke grunted from the sidelines.

"Sooo… I assume you aren't busy today to have been able to make time to visit me and the teme right, Kaka-sensei?" Naruto questioned with a cheery grin on his face. Kakashi nodded, albeit with a suspicious look on his face.

"So let's all hang out!" Naruto yelled, punching his fist in the air in excitement. Sasuke stared at him as if he had grown another head. When Naruto noticed this, he countered defensively, "What's wrong with the three of us hanging out? It's like a student- teacher thing anyway!"

Kakashi shrugged and replied lazily, "Fine with me. You coming, Sasuke?" The raven haired male nodded before walking ahead. "So where are we going, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Uhhh… I heard there's this new shopping mall called 'The Heeren' or something. It's beside the 'Ichiraku Ramen Place'! Shall we check it out? I heard they sell a wide variety of ramen there too!" Naruto answered, nodding his head as if indicating that he was very pleased with his suggestion.

"Whatever suits, dobe." The young Uchiha replied briefly.

Kakashi nodded and the trio headed towards their destination.

* * *

"Hinata! Tenten!" Sakura half-yelled half-waved. She hadn't seen them for so long! When the two girls heard her, they turned around and grinned, waving happily. Sakura ran up to them and tackled them into a bone-crushing hug. "I've missed you guys!" She squealed ecstatically.

"Me too! I haven't seen you in like, almost a month!" Tenten replied. "Hai… I missed y-you too… S-sakura-chan…" Hinata commented softly, her cheeks heating up. Sakura giggled at her quiet friend and gave her another hug. "Ne, you're too shy, Hina-chan!" Hinata's face became even redder.

"I can't believe it! You guys are like, hugging and squealing at each other without waiting for me!" Ino's furious voice reached the trio's ears. All of them tensed. An angry Ino is never a good sign. However, when they turned around, they saw that Ino had a warm smile on her face.

"Pig!" Sakura chirped happily, before pouncing on her blond best friend and giving her a death-hug. "I've missed you!" She continued in excitement.

"-can't breathe…" Sakura heard Ino's muffled reply. She quickly let her friend go before blushing in embarrassment. "Oops…" She giggled awkwardly. Tenten laughed heartily at Sakura's expression and Hinata smiled at her.

"You trying to kill me, Forehead?" Ino's furious screams could be heard throughout the whole shopping mall.

* * *

"So… how come you were late just now? Normally you would be the one who would arrive before us every time we meet up!" Sakura commented. The four of them were currently in an Italian restaurant having lunch.

"Well, of course I arrived before any of you!" Ino declared triumphantly. "Really?" Tenten replied sarcastically, arching an eyebrow at her. "Of course! When I arrived, you guys weren't here yet so I went to the toilet!" came Ino's indignant reply. Sakura just sighed_. Typical Ino… Always so defensive!_ Inner Sakura chided.

There was a moment of silence as everyone tucked into their meal. Sakura, not being one to enjoy silence, started up another conversation. "So how's Toromo university?" "Toromo's great! There's this really cute guy in my class…" Ino trailed off with a dreamy expression. "There she goes…" Tenten sweat dropped. "Anyway, I think Toromo's fine; it's not so stressful! How's yours?" "Uhh… T-toromo university's okay f-for me too, I g-guess…" Hinata replied in a flustered manner. Sakura grinned before replying Tenten's question. "Konoha's okay for me too. Except for the fact that there is this really annoying guy in my class who keeps pestering me… What?" Sakura blinked when she saw Tenten and Ino gazing up at her with wide eyes.

"A guy's pestering you? As in- _"I wanna be your boyfriend"_?" Ino looked as if she was about to explode from the suddenly tense atmosphere. Tenten's eyes were as wide as saucers. Sakura gulped before nodding. "Erm… Yeah, I guess… What's wrong, guys?" she asked meekly.

**"Oh my gosh! Is he hot**?" Ino demanded. "Geez, Ino. That's what you're gonna ask?" Sakura drawled, raising a delicate pink eyebrow at her. "I- uh… Of course! The first thing about guys is… the _looks_!" Ino practically screamed out the last part of her sentence. Sakura and Tenten face-palmed and Hinata just shifted awkwardly. When Sakura noticed some of the diners eyeing them, she gave them an unconvincing grin and turned to her friends. "You_** pig**_! Now everyone's looking at us!" Ino just crossed her arms and turned away with a huff.

"Say, who's he? The guy who's after you, I mean." Tenten inquired curiously. At that moment, Ino also turned to look at Sakura. Sakura noted that even _Hinata _looked at her! "… I admit that he's… uhh… _handsome_… But he's actually a _jerk_! A _stupid, conceited and stubborn __prick_!" Sakura finished her sentence, glaring daggers at her meal, huffing angrily and wishing that her piece of baked salmon was a certain_ someone's_ head so that she could use her knife to maul-

"Holy shit!" Ino suddenly yelped. Sakura having snapped out of her reverie, turned to look at the direction of Ino's shaky fingers. Tenten and Hinata followed suit. "Look at that! Scratch that, look at _him_!" Ino gasped out. "What a handsome and-" Sakura blocked out Ino's rants and gaped at the person she was pointing at, who was none other than… _Uchiha Sasuke._

"Darn it! Why is _he_ here too?" Sakura cursed, feeling her once joyous mood turn sour. "D-do you know him, S-sakura-chan?" Hinata asked her. Sakura glared in _his _direction and nodded before hissing out, "_Of course_ I know him! He's the jerk I was telling you guys about!" Ino stopped staring at Sasuke and her stare shifted to Sakura. Sakura felt, more than saw, Tenten and Hinata turned to stare at her too. Sakura looked at her three friends. Hinata's face was red, as usual, but there was a hint of curiosity in her lavender eyes. Tenten's jaw was hanging and she was looking at Sakura in… awe? And Ino's expression was priceless. Her jaw dropped onto the ground and she was looking at Sakura with eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"_**WHAT?"**_ Ino and Tenten screamed at the same time.

* * *

"But I wanna eat ramen!" Naruto whined incessantly. Kakashi sighed and said, "Too much ramen is bad for you, Naruto! Why don't we try something new?" Kakashi then gestured towards an Italian restaurant. "I haven't eaten an Italian dish in ages; shall we eat there?" Sasuke shrugged carelessly and headed towards the Italian restaurant, ignoring Naruto's childish whines as Kakashi grabbed the dobe's collar and pulled him towards said restaurant.

When Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto heard some crazy girls screaming a 'what', they turned to look at that direction and briefly noted that other diners were staring at the noisy bunch of girls too. Sasuke caught sight of blond hair, brown hair and a flash of pink. _Pink? It can't be…_

Sasuke, suddenly feeling very curious, started walking towards the group, with Naruto keeping in stride beside him and Kakashi trailing behind the both of them, wondering what the heck had caught their interest… …

* * *

Sakura clamped her hand over Ino and Tenten's mouth and hissed, "Shut up, guys! This is the second time everyone's staring at us- they must think we are a bunch of **lunatics**!" Hinata giggled nervously behind the livid Sakura. "U-uh… S-sakura-chan, the j-jerk you mentioned is coming o-over?" Sakura froze at this and ducked her head beneath the table. "Really, Hina-chan?" "H-hai…"

_Shit man!_ Sakura cursed inwardly. _This was not good, not good, not g-_

"Hn. What _are_ you doing, **Sa-ku-ra**?"

_**-TBC-

* * *

**_

_**A/n: The next chapter of 3G is finally here! So how'd you like the cliffie, guys? (I'm in an evil mood today. Mwuahahaha…) Hope you like this update! Since you made it up to here, why not just click the review button? Hahas. Once again, thanks for reading. Until next time!**_

_**-Izumii**_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n: I know it's been a really loooong time since I last updated, guys! I'm really sorry about that. I've not been getting any inspirations to write these few months. And finally, I'm getting a little of my muse back- I should capture this opportunity to update! :D**

**Previous chapter (because it's been a really long while since I last updated):**

_Sakura clamped her hand over Ino and Tenten's mouth and hissed, "Shut up, guys! This is the second time everyone's staring at us- they must think we are a bunch of __**lunatics**__!" Hinata giggled nervously behind the livid Sakura. "U-uh… S-sakura-chan, the j-jerk you mentioned is coming o-over?" Sakura froze at this and ducked her head beneath the table. "Really, Hina-chan?" "H-hai…"_

_Shit man!__Sakura cursed inwardly.__This was not good, not good, not g-_

_"Hn. What __are __you doing, __**Sa-ku-ra**__?"_

* * *

**Ocho:**

**Of best friends and happiness**

* * *

Sakura gulped in embarrassment before lifting her head from under the table. Flustered, she immediately gave Sasuke the best glare she could manage, before snapping, "W-what, I can't pick something up from the floor now?" She cursed inwardly at her little stammer. Sasuke smirked. "Hn. Doesn't seem like it, Sakura." She huffed furiously, trying to ignore her friends' curious looks.

Naruto's face, on the other hand, had lit up in happiness and surprise when his eyes landed on Hinata. "Hinata-channnn! I didn't expect to see you here!" Hinata looked at him in shock and gasped, "N-naruto-kun!" "You guys know each other?" Sakura asked in surprise. Hinata nodded meekly; Naruto, on the other hand, was nodding his head vigorously. Sakura, Tenten and Ino shared a look of surprise but did not prod further or comment about it. _It must have been at that time, when Tenten and Hinata came over to Konoha University for the Conjoined Student Council meeting... _Sakura thought.

After that, awkward silence ensued between both parties. It was a rather comical moment, Ino observed. Naruto was grinning at Hinata, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Hinata, in turn, was flashing him tiny smiles, her face heated up throughout their whole "interaction". Ino smirked inwardly. _Time for some matchmaking! _She thought. Sakura, on the other hand, was glaring at Sasuke, looking like she was trying to look angry at him although the blush on her face gave away the fact that she was more embarrassed at being caught in the act of hiding from him than actually furious with him. Sasuke was smirking triumphantly at her, his eyes gleaming with a light that seemed to mock Sakura that yes, he had caught her "red-handed" and that it was useless for her to try to deny that she was hiding from him, instead of 'picking something up from the floor'. Tenten was just staring at the wooden table, awkwardly shuffling about in her seat, not wanting to make the tension between both parties even worse than it already was.

Ino turned to look at the only adult present at their little _meeting. _He was an odd man, she deemed. He wore a black face mask, covering one of his eyes with what seemed to be an eye patch. His exposed eye was glued to an orange book he held on one of his hands, and behind the book, he looked like he was smirking to himself… Ino wished that she had a camera then. It was such a Kodak moment!

Time seemed to snap all of them back to reality. At the same time, Hinata looked away from Naruto, blushing heavily and looking down at her hands, and Naruto followed suit, pouting as he turned away from her direction. Tenten looked at Ino with a questioning look, raising her eyebrows at her. Ino then realized that she probably had on a really freaky smile on her face and promptly waved it off, mouthing a _"nothing"_ to Tenten. Sakura turned away from Sasuke's cocky expression, glaring at the floor whilst Sasuke continued to stare at her intently. Kakashi stayed as before, seeming to be frozen in time. Apparently, Naruto was the one who broke the ice by the loud grumble that sounded from his stomach. Sakura and Ino frowned at him disapprovingly, Sasuke smacking him on the head and muttering a barely audible sentence that sounded like "Stupid dobe". Naruto cried out and clutched his head while glaring at Sasuke and said "What was that for, teme!" Sasuke just glared at him, not replying his outburst. It was then Kakashi came back to live. "Now now, you two, it's not nice to quarrel like six-year-old brats in front of a group of pretty ladies, isn't it?" Kakashi ended his chiding with what seemed to be a tiny smile and both Naruto and Sasuke glared vehemently at him.

"I suppose we have to go now. Right, girls?" Ino intervened to prevent them from having to sit through another episode of awkward drama. All of the girls nodded eagerly and got up to leave. "Wha- so fast?" Naruto exclaimed. "You guys just came!" "And how would you know that?" Sakura replied, with her eyebrows raised. Naruto sulked, having nothing to say. Sasuke kept quiet throughout the whole exchange and continued to watch Sakura intensely. Sakura, feeling increasingly uneasy under his scrutiny, felt as if he was looking through her, at her soul. Feeling really irked out, she bit out, "Let's go!" With that, she stalked out of the restaurant hastily. Her friends followed suit after paying the bill, and Tenten questioned Sakura on what was wrong.

Sakura shook her head and mumbled that everything was fine. After returning Ino the money which she owed for the earlier lunch bill, the four of them decided to let that day's episode rest by going around shopping.

* * *

"Say, I've been wondering since just now, what made you come over here so suddenly, teme? Was it cause' you wanted to see Sakura-chan?" Naruto snickered, waggling his eyebrows at Sasuke suggestively. Sasuke glared daggers at him in return, before snorting and replying Naruto with a smack on the head. "Dream on, dobe." Kakashi smiled in amusement behind his mask._ Interesting..._

* * *

"Thanks so much for going out with me guys! I thoroughly enjoyed it!" Sakura exclaimed happily. "N-no problem, Sakura-chan…" Hinata replied, giving Sakura a shy smile. Sakura grinned in return and gave the other girl a tight hug. "Yeah, today was awesome!" Tenten agreed heartily. Ino nodded and stated, "We should go out more often! It was quite some time ago that the four of us managed to have a free slot to hang out!" All of them agreed. Being involved in the Student Council of Konoha University and Toromo University, Sakura, Hinata and Tenten often meet each other during both school's Conjoined Student Council Meetings. Ino, however, was not involved in the Council, and thus rarely saw Sakura. "Well, I need to go now guys! See you next time!" Tenten waved at Sakura and Ino as Hinata turned to follow her. "Y-yeah. I'll see y-you two soon. Bye!"

When the two of them were nowhere to be seen, Ino nudged Sakura playfully and said, "So, Sakura… What's up with you and the drop-dead gorgeous _boyfriend_ of yours?" "E-eh? He's not my boyfriend, Ino!" Ino snickered in disbelief. "Really!" Sakura exclaimed indignantly. "Didn't he, you know, chase after you? How did he do it?" Ino had a curious and sly look on her face. Sakura sighed. "It's complicated, Pig…"

"Do tell; I've got _allll_ day." Ino drawled.

"He wants me to be his girlfriend just to give his parents the false impression that he's got himself a girlfriend- for some company purposes. And we're supposed to break up when it's almost the time for our "marriage". Kinda weird right? It's supposed to be a plan to convince his parents that he isn't ready to be involved in relationships yet..." Sakura trailed off. "Oh, Forehead…" Ino wound her arms around her best friend, trying to comfort her. "Why did you agree to do it then? It's not like you were under a life-death circumstance… And why you? I'm sure with that looks of his, he's got plenty to choose from." "I guess I wanted to help him. It's always my dream to help others in need, remember? Kaa-san would be proud of me, won't she, Ino? As for why he chose me, I'm not sure. He said that it was because I am not an obsessed fangirl of his or something. So it would also help him in a way that he can _chase off_ his fangirls.." Ino had nothing to say and just looked at her with a sad expression.

Sakura huffed and said, "Well, it has just only become official. We'll see how things go. I'm sure _everything's_ gonna be fine!" Ino shook her head slightly before muttering, "Sakura, your happiness counts too. I'm sure your mother would have wanted you to help others, but not at the expense of your own happiness."

Sakura looked at Ino in silent defeat. The silence between the two friends was deafening. The words exchanged hung heavily in the air, leaving Sakura feeling suffocated. _What could I have done?_

* * *

**A/n: Finally… Poor Sakura, she's in a dilemma. We'll see how Sasuke plays it out. Hehe.**

**I'm hoping to update sooner, but it's not so easy- my muse comes and goes so quickly, it's hard to catch it. :P Please leave behind a review; it would be greatly appreciated!**


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